The highly anticipated Taipei Dangdai (台北當代) will debute at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Hall (臺北南港展覽館) on Friday.
Spearheaded by Magnus Renfrew, of Art Basel in Hong Kong fame, and backed by financial services company UBS Group AG, the fair has been attracting great interest locally and internationally since its announcement of its inauguration last March.
“This fair marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter of possibilities for the art scene in Taipei,” says Tina Keng (耿桂英), founder of Tina Keng Gallery (耿畫廊). “Taipei Dangdai will bring international standards to Taipei while introducing the strength of the city…to an international audience.”
Photo Courtesy of Galerie du Monde
STELLAR GALLERY LINEUP
The international art world has thus far shown great confidence in Renfrew’s vision. The fair boasts an impressive list of 90 galleries, including local frontrunners and internationally-acclaimed powerhouses.
“This is without question the strongest exhibitor list I have seen for a first-year fair in Asia. We very much look forward to our participation,” says Nick Simunovic of Gagosian, a New York gallery that operates 16 branches around the globe.
Photos courtesy of Pace Gallery
At Taipei Dangdai, Gagosian will make its first appearance in Taiwan with a stellar artist line up including Georg Baselitz, Joe Bradley, John Currin, Damien Hirst and others.
Among the fair exhibitors, 20 percent have offices in Taiwan while almost 90 percent have branches in Asia. In the last decade, many American and European galleries, including marquee names such as White Cube, Gagosian, Lehmann Maupin and Perrotin, to name a few, have become increasingly active within the Asian region.
Hong Kong and Shanghai, in particular, have been two of the most popular destinations to open branch spaces. The arrival of Taipei Dangdai has conjured new interest in Taipei as a prime location for the international art business.
Photo Courtesy of Lehmann Maupin
“The Taipei art market is known to be one of the most serious and venerated in the Asia region and it feels natural that there would be an art fair of this nature launched here,” says American dealer Sean Kelly.
On the opening of Taipei Dangdai, Kelly will also be premiering his new Taipei gallery branch with a feature show of Scottish artist Callum Innes. The gallery is spearheaded by director Gladys Lin (林瑀希).
SATELLITE EVENTS
Riding the excitement around Taipei Dangdai, a number of cultural events and a competing art fair will also open this weekend. Ink Now Art Expo (水墨現場), a new fair headed by Hong Kong entrepreneur Calvin Hui (許劍龍), will debut at the World Expo with an intimate presentation of 30 galleries.
The fair specializes in ink art and serves as a starting point for Hui’s long-term vision to organize regular ink exhibitions around the globe.
“Ink art is an important cultural legacy in our history,” Hui says. “We…aim to facilitate the comprehensive development of art, academics, and the market.”
Other satellite events include a solo exhibition by Taiwanese artist Wu Chi-tsung (吳季璁) organized by Hong Kong-based Galerie du Monde (世界畫廊). The show features a selection of paintings, videos and installations that offer insightful reflections on cross-cultural sensibilities.
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